Distant deadlines or relatively light workloads accommodate procrastination and other bad habits. Hectic work schedules, though, exacerbate the dangers of such behaviors. Following these five tips will help you avoid those perils:
Just start writing. Typing the first sentences is the most daunting aspect of any writing assignment. Writing generally gets easier once those initial sentences appear. Ideas for improvement begin to emerge then, too.
Aim for a good outcome, not perfection. Award-winning prose is great, but all that’s necessary is a well-crafted message. Don’t let the pursuit of perfection jeopardize the opportunity to deliver something good on time.
Trust initial instincts. Lessons learned from bad and good past writing assignments form and strengthen professional instincts. Those instincts generate solutions when there just isn’t time for prolonged thought.
Break massive workloads into smaller pieces. A handful of assignments and short deadlines may make a large workload seem overwhelming. Breaking such workloads into smaller chunks of work makes completion manageable. Completing smaller chunks provides a sense of progress, and the impetus to keep going.
Stay focused. Some email messages or phone calls may require immediate attention. Reducing distractions and concentrating more fully on the most important tasks, though, makes the best use of limited time.
Rich Buse (firstname.lastname@example.org) is a Milwaukee native. He currently resides in the Dallas-Fort worth area.